Medical Assistance in Dying: Implications for Canadian Classrooms and the Academy

The recent passing of legislation decriminalizing medically assisted suicide was a landmark in Canadian history. Since the law’s passage, an average of four Canadians per day have chosen to die using medical assistance. With Canadians embracing this option of death, we argue that there will be moments in Canadian schools when this topic will be brought into the classrooms. In this paper, we outline how children view death both emotionally and conceptually, as well as how teachers can discuss death in their classrooms. The purpose is to provide a brief explanation of the law, an expiation of how children view death, and a framework for how teachers may be prepared to broach the topic when raised in their classrooms.